NEW THEORY OF THE ETIOLOGY OF SHOE-BOIL. 
625 
I firmly believe to be the cause of the affection, is that an ani¬ 
mal will, while attempting to assume the standing position, and 
which he will necessarily have to do, is to extend the foot and 
flex the knee, thus forming an arch with the foot and elbow 
resting upon the ground. While attempting to assume the 
standing position he strikes his elbow forcibly upon the floor or 
ground, injuring it, and thus producing this lesion. In the 
course of my investigations, I have seen this occur twice, the 
animals evincing symptoms of acute pain and lameness till the 
following morning. I also noticed that those which were pre¬ 
disposed to this affection were animals that assumed this posi¬ 
tion when recumbent, and they slept with the head between the 
knees, and the nose resting upon the floor. I rarely saw them 
assume this position in a loose or box stall, but always in a 
straight stall. They usually rested with one side of the body 
close to the side of the stall. It will often occur when the ani¬ 
mal becomes frightened and rises suddenly. It will then strike 
its elbow upon the floor in a forcible manner, thus injuring it. 
I know one instance when this occurred. I removed a splinter 
of wood, about the size of a match, from the skin of the elbow 
region. The animal was very lame for over a week, after which 
it gradually passed off, and he made a good recovery, with no- 
recurrence. I know of another instance in which a horse had a 
large shoe-boil. A diagnosis of this affection was made, com¬ 
plicated with synovitis of the elbow joint. He was destroyed 
three months after. A post-mortem developed an incomplete 
fracture of the olecranon, with a beginning ankylosis. It de¬ 
veloped afterwards that the animal was kicked by another horse 
upon the point of the elbow, which resulted in the condition 
described. In the course of my investigations I have found 
that animals which had a tendency to develop this affection 
were those which invariably pawed their bedding back and pre¬ 
ferred to lie upon the bare boards. I do not know of a chronic case 
that did not do this. The bar of wood keeps the bedding in front v 
so that it cannot be pawed back, and it also raises the sternum 
so that the elbow cannot touch or strike the ground forcibly. 
